Festivals of North India

Holi 

Holi is a lively festival that is celebrated in most parts of India, but it is a celebration done with utmost magnificence in various forms particularly in North India. The festival is famous enough for the entire world to relate ‘playing with colors’ with India since that is what is the Holi celebration is mostly about. Lath mar Holi is a very famous celebration that takes place in the small town of Barsana in Uttar Pradesh. Playing with water and colors, forming human pyramids, and breaking a pot of butter tied on the top are some of the many events that take place during Holi. It falls in the month of March every year.

Where to celebrate:

The best place to celebrate Holi is probably Mathura / Vrindavan in North India, the birthplace and childhood home of god Krishna. The celebrations here are legendary.

Diwali 

Diwali is the biggest festival in India, a celebration of the triumph of light over dark, good over evil. The word Diwali means “rows of lighted lamps” and it is also called the Festival of Light. Every person lights tiny divas (lamps) and fireworks to help guide Lord Rama home from exile. Diwali is essentially alike of Christmas — a large, festive celebration that brings people together and is the highlight of the holiday season. There are five days of festivities, each marked with different pujas (prayers) and rituals.

Where to celebrate:

Diwali is celebrated throughout India, though there are regional differences. Cities like Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, and Agra go all out on Diwali, and the effect is dazzling.

Pushkar Cattle Fair

Pushkar is famous in Rajasthan for the beauty of its lake, the exceptionality of Brahma Temple (the only one in India) and the colorful vibe. The Pushkar Camel Fair happens each autumn, during the time of the Kartik Purnima (full moon festival). A religious festival and camel fair converge on the small town at the same time turns Pushkar into a giant mela ground (fair).

The first thing you need to recognize about the Pushkar Camel Fair is that it really is a camel fair. Camel traders come from far and wide to buy, sell and trade camels … attended by feasting, cultural shows, competitions such as camel racing, and the world’s largest pop-up marketplace.

Dev Deepawali

Dev Deepawali after Diwali falling in November – December is the sacred day for all the people. The lovely Kartik Purnima festival or the DevDeepawali celebrated in Varanasi, is a pictorial pleasure. The ghats of Varanasi come alive with thousands of luminously lit earthen lamps. The lamps that are softly left on the River.

People come to Varanasi in large numbers to watch this outstanding event. Assi Ghat and Dashashwamedh Ghat convert into the holy platform in this sparkling celebration of light and lamps that spread across the Ganga and Varanasi city. 

Desert Festival

The great Thar Desert, the empty sands around Jaisalmer come blooming with the dazzling color, music and amusement of the Desert Festival. The vivid Rajasthani traditional culture is on show in Jaisalmer for three days. Rajasthani men and lovely women dressed in their bright costumes dance and sing, traditional musicians attempt to surpass each other in their musical superiority. Puppeteers, acrobats, camel tattoo show, camel races, camel polo, traditional procession, camel-mounted band, folk dances are the key highpoint of this festival. Proud mustached villagers, dressed in their tribal best come along with their attractive camels to join in the camel dances and competitions of camel acrobatics.